Clams to Cash: How to Make and Sell Giant Clam Shell ... - eXtension

Clams to Cash: How to Make and Sell Giant Clam Shell ProductsPage 36Magnetic Memo Holders and Key RingsMagnetic memo holders are not something to which we normally devote muchthought, and in the grand scheme of things they may not count for a whole lot. But no onecan deny that millions are currently in use around the world, performing their mundane jobssilently and reliably, day in and day out. Millions of additional memo magnets probablycould be sold on an annual basis by imaginative and energetic entrepreneurs. Consider thatevery office needs them for attaching memos to metal file cabinets, and every householdcertainly needs them for sticking grocery lists, notes and the kids’ school papers to therefrigerator door. Check out the housewares section or the office supplies section of anydepartment store. There you will find magnetic memo holders, sometimes in a bewilderingvariety. Often they are cute or whimsical in design. Some people out there—people like youand me—earn a good living making refrigerator magnets that other people buy. Why notbecome a part of this trend? It’s easy when you have thousands of giant clam shellsaccumulating at your farm or hatchery.Three components are needed for memo holders: a clean clam shell about 5centimeters long, a 1.5-centimeter circular magnet, which can be purchased from OhioCeramic Supply, and a dab of glue from your hot glue gun (Figure 36). Hundreds of memoholders can be made with no difficulty. Just set 100 clean shells concave side up on a workbench and glue the magnets to them. Leave some shells with the natural color and paintothers with various colors of neon spray enamel. The best way to present them in the giftshop is to attach them to a vertical metal surface near the cash register. Try to find an exteriorside panel from an old file cabinet or refrigerator. If none is available, buy a sheet of thingaugegalvanized steel from your hardware store. The finished size should be about 18 incheswide by 24 inches tall. Spray paint it with a glossy white or black enamel and screw it to thewall in your gift shop.Memo holders normally retail for only about $2 to $3 each. But no law says theymust be sold individually. Six neon-colored, clam shell memo holders could be packagedinto a zip-lock plastic bag and sold for $9.95 retail. Don’t forget to put a sticker on the backof each shell or even on the magnet itself. This is a gift item that will be gladly received, andfrequently used, by people of all ages.Brightly painted clam shells can also be fashioned into key rings. Simply drill a smallhole near the base of the painted shell using a 1/16-inch drill bit and use needle-nose pliers toattach the jump ring of a key ring blank, which can be purchased from River Gems.June 1996